Formatting scripts for collaborative writing: a practical guide

I write primarily in script format on Sproker and I've noticed a lot of people are confused about how to format correctly, especially on collaborative stories where you don't know who set up the format conventions in the early chapters. Here is the short version of standard screenplay format: **Scene headings:** INT./EXT. LOCATION - TIME Always caps. Always slugline. "INT. KITCHEN - DAY" not "the kitchen, daytime." **Action lines:** Present tense, third person, visual only. Write what the camera sees, not what characters think. **Character names (before dialogue):** Centre, caps. Include (V.O.) for voiceover, (O.S.) for off-screen, (CONT'D) if interrupted. **Parentheticals:** Use sparingly. Only when the read is genuinely ambiguous without direction. "He says sarcastically" is usually a sign the line isn't working. **Page count:** Approximately one minute per page. A chapter submission here should aim for 3-7 pages (scenes), not 30. For Sproker specifically: because we're writing chapters collaboratively, establish your scene clearly at the opening. Don't assume the reader knows where we are. And respect the format the previous chapter set - if the story is using British English and calling it EXT. instead of INT. in unusual places for effect, continue the convention. Happy to answer formatting questions.